2017 marks the 50th anniversary of St. Christopher's Hospice in London, which is widely recognized as the first modern day hospice organization, and the 35th anniversary of the Medicare hospice benefit in the United States.
The hospice and palliative care philosophy places the needs of the individual at the center of care allowing patients and family caregivers to focus on quality of life, surrounded and supported by family and loved ones, despite serious and life-limiting illness. This year's theme "It's about how you live!" reminds us that hospice is not a place, but rather a model of high-quality care that enables patients and families to focus on living as fully as possible despite a life-limiting illness.
For more information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organizzation's website
.
Videos and stories from families showing the many ways hospice and palliative care make special moments possible can be found at
here
.
|